Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Background o'f th'e'Inven'tion:
This invention relates generally to prefabricated walls,
and more particularly to a prefabricated, free-standing wall
having oppositely facing, exterior panels.
It is not uncommon for the interior of business establish-
ments, especially stores, to be renovated or redecorated
and, upon occasion, to require the addition of new walls
to the pre-existing structure. In the past, prefabricated
walls were little more than inflexible simulations of
ordinary floor-to-ceiling walls and thus were ill-suited for
modern, free-form office designs. In addition, they generally
lacked the internal strength to support merchandise display
shelves or racks typically found on ordinary store walls.
14 Th0 prefabricated walls disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 1,4~2,208
to Mayo issued July 17, 1923 and U.S. Patent No. 3,017,672
to Vaughan issued January 23, 1962 are examples of the earlier
prefabricated walls and represent the closest prior art known
to the inventor. While both the Mayo and Vaughan prefabricated
walls are constructed from a plurality of panels set side by
side in upper and lower channelled brackets, neither wall
includes structural features which would permit it to stand
on its own without joining other walls or a ceiling or to
support display devices.
One popular alternative to erecting a prefabricated wall
was to bring in a crew and build a conventional stud wall on
location. Although sturdier than some prefabricated walls,
conventional stud walls required far more time and effort on
the job site. The costs of construction were high both in
terms of labor and time during which the area under construction
was unproductive, The present wall preferably utilizes certain
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of the features disclosed in my copending Canadian patent
application No. 401,323 filed April 20, 1982 entitled CURTAIN
WALL to which further reference will be made hereinafter, and
additionally provides a free-standing wall which has suf-
ficient strength and stability to support merchandise fordisplay.
Summary and Objects of the Invention:
The present prefabricated wall comprises a lower, horizont-
ally extending sill member that has longitudinally coexten-
sive, upwardly opening, medial and first and second lateralchannels; a plurality of load-bearing vertical frame members,
each having a horizontal foot section at its lower end secured
within the medial channel of the sill member and a horizontal
head section at its upper end; an upper, horizontally extend-
ing cap member that has longitudinally coextensive, downwardlyopening, medial and first and second lateral channels disposed
in co-planar relationship to corresponding channels of the
sill membe~ the medial channel of the cap housing the head
sections ~f the vertical frame ~embers; and a pluTality of
wall panels removably positioned in side by side rclation
within each of the lateral channels of the cap and sill mem-
bers. A leYeling apparatus is also provided in the present
invention and preferably comprises a floor-mounted base mem-
ber that has a plurality of externally threaded, upwardly
extending anchoring posts; a plurality of internally threaded
leveling columns variably mounted on the posts in horizontal
alignment with one another; and a leveling column-receiving,
downwardly-opening channel on the lower sill member of the wall.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide
a free-standing wall that can support merchandise display
shelves or racks.
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Another object of the present invention is to provide a
prefabricated wall that can be quickly and easily assembled
on location.
Further objects of the present invention will become
apparent with reference to the following drawings and des-
cription of the preferred embodiment.
Brief Description of the Drawings:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prefabricated wall
according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the wall;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view,
partiaily in section, of the leveling device, lower sill,
vertical frame members and other features of the wall;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged, horizontal sectional view through
the outer panels and vertical frame members in a straight
section of the wall;
FIG. 5 is a similar view of a ribbed section of the wall;
FIG. 6 is a similar view of an angled section of the wall;
PIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line
7-7 in FIG. 4; and
FIG. 8 is an enlarged, vertical sectional view of the
leveling device.
,
Description of the Preferred Embodiment:
As ill~strated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the present prefabricated
wall, generally designated 10, is free-standing and is pre-
ferably formed with a plurality of angularly related,
relatively adjoining sections 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16
having oppos}tely facing exterior surfaces 17 and 18. If
desired, the wall could be perfectly straight and supported
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at its ends 19 and 20 by other structures; however, it is
preferable to include relatively short, opposing, buttressing
sections or ribs 13 and 14 at intervals of twenty feet or
less along the length of a straight section of the wall.
The internal structure of a straight wall section 12 is -
illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, and 7. A plurality of vertical
frame members 21 which provide structural support for the
wall lie in spaced apart relation therewithin. Each frame
member 21 is provided with a horizontal foot 22 and a
- 10 horizontal head 23 welded OT otherwise rigidly attached to
its lower and upper ends, respectively. Ordinarily, the
vertical frame members and horizontal feet and heads are
fashioned from hollow, rectangular shafts or rods of metal.
Preferably, the vertical members 21 lying within the straight
sections are arranged in pairs and share an elongated foot
22, head 23 and intermediate horizontal connector (not shown).
Separate pairs of vertical members may be spaced approximately
48" - 60" apart along a typical straight wall section.
A horizontally extending lower sill 24 houses the frame
feet 22 within a longitudinally coextensive, upwardly opening
medial channel 25. A horizontally extending upper cap 26
~FIG. 7) houses the frame heads 23 within a substantially
similar but downwardly opening medial channel 25. The feet
22 and heads 23 may be bevelled at their free ends 27 to
provide access to suitable fastening means 28 by which they
are attached to their respective medial channels 25 in the
sill and cap members. The fastening means 28 in the sill 25
preferably form part of a leveling apparatus described below.
Both the sill 24 and cap 26 include first and second lateral
channels 29 and 30 lying on opposite sides of and coextensive
with their respective medial channels 25. Preferably, the
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sill and cap are extruded aluminum and have medial channels
raised or offset from the lateral channels, as indicated in
FIG. 7. In this mànner, the sill member 24 may be provided
with a downwardly opening channel 31 immediately below its
upwardly opening, medial channel 25, with a common closed
end 32 therebetween. Similarly, the upper cap may include
an upwardly opening channel 33 immediately above its down-
wardly opening medial channel 25 and common closed end 34.
Preferably, the sill 24 is installed, as indicated in FIGS.
3, 7 and 8, upon a leveling apparatus which comprises a floor-
mounted base 35 and a plurality of anchoring posts 36 and
leveling columns 37. The base or platform 35 is formed from
longitudinally extending, relatively narrow planks of wood
or other material laid end to end and rigidly secured to the
floor to form the template upon which the present wall may
be constructed. The base, in effect, follows the contour
of the floor. The anchoring posts 36 are externally thraaded,
are rigidly fastened to the base, and extend upwardly there-
from. The leveling columns 37 are internally threaded to
engage the posts 36. Thus, by simply turning the columns 37
in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, one may
lower or raise them relative to the base 35 and anchoring
posts 36 and establish a level, horizontal plane.
The downwardly-opening channel 31 of the sill receives the
leveling columns 37, and the closed end 32 of the sill rests
thereupon. The free ends of the anchoring posts 36 extend
through openings in the closed end 32 and are secured by
suitable fastening means 28 either to the medial channel 25
or to the foot sections 22 of the frame members lying therein.
3~ Thus, where the floor dips, a space 38 may form between the sill
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25 and base 35 (FIG. 7).
As indicated in FIG. 1, the opposing external surfaces 17
and 18 of the wall are formed from a plurality of panels 39
standing within the l-~teral channels of the cap 26 and sill
24. Ihese panels 39 are fabricated and assembled within the
sill and cap channels in a manner disclosed in my aforesaid
copending Canadian application, No. 401,323.entitled CURTAIN
WALL. As indicated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the panels 39 are held
- in position and separated by vertically extending, hori-
zontally spaced-apart studs 40 whose upper and lower end por-
tions extend into the lateral channels of the cap and sill
members, respectively. The channels, in turn, are provided
at longitudinally spaced intervals with stud-locating fingers
41 which detachably engage the upper and lower end portions
of the studs 40. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the outer lips 42
of the lateral channels of the sill member are shorter than
the outer lips 43 of the lateral channels of the cap member.
Thus, during assembly of the wall the upper ends of the studs
40 ~ay be i~s~t lited i.ntq the stud-lQcating ingers-41 of
the capJ the lower ends of the studs are swung over the outer
lip 42 of the sill and then inserted into the sill's stud lo-
cating fingers, without releasing the upper ends of the studs
from contact wi.th the upper fingers 41. In a similar manner,
the exterior panels 39 may be inserted into the lateral
channels of the cap and sill and into abutment along their
lateral edges 39A and 39B, with the panel-separating webs 40A
and 40B, respectively, of the studs. As illustrated in FIG. 1,
the exterior panels may provide the wall with a mirrored sur-
face 44 or with less reflective material 45 In addition,
shelf-supporting brackets 46 and other merchandise display
appendages may be attached to the studs 40 in the manner
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described in my previously cited patent application.
In order to be substantially free of supporting or stabi-
lizing attachments to other walls or a ceiling, the free stand-
ing wall 10 may have a number of angularly related, relatively
adjoining sections. FIG. 5 illustrates a 90 joint between
wall sections 15 and 16 in FIGS. 1 and 2. And, except for
changes in angularity, a substantially identical arrangement
of the wall's structural components can be used to construct
the obtuse joint between wall sections 11 and 12. Referring
to FIG. 5, one will note that three vertical frame members
21A-C are welded or otherwise secured to two relatively ad-
joining angularly related foot sections 22A and 22B. The
angularly adjoining foot sections in turn, are set within the
medial channels of and reinforce the adjoining sill sections
24A and 24B. The adjoining cap sections which are supported
by the vertical members 21A-C are similarly connected and
reinforced by angularly adjoined head sections (not shown).
As with the straight foot 22, the angular foot sections 22~
and 22B include b.eYelled end su~faces 27 that ~oYide access
to suita~le attachment means 28. The angular head sections
are similarly constructed.
An alternative or additional manner of making the wall
self-stabilizing is to provide relatively opposing~
stabilizing ribs or buttresses 13 and 14 at intervals between
straight wall sections 12 and 15, as indicated in FIGS. 1,
2 and 6. Although substantially similar in construction
to the straight
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wall sections 12 and 15, the Tibs 13 and 14 are relatively
attenuated structures that are joined to the straight sections
by a cross~ e configuration of vertical members and adjoining
foot and head sections. As illustrated in FIG. 6, each of the
adjoining sill sections 24D-G includes an outlying vertical
frame member 21D-G and an associated foot section 22D-G. In
addition, at the intersection of the various sill members, the
foot sections are welded or otherwise attached together and
8 fifth vertical frame member 21H extends upwardly therefrom.
A similar pattern of head sections joins the vertical frame
members 21D-H and adjoining cap sections together ~not shown).
The ribs 13 and 14 terminate in end caps or plates 47 which
cover the ends of the sill 24 and the cap 26 and which have
substantially flat external surfaces and a number of longi-
tudinally coextensive, inwardly-projecting spines 48. In
addition to their cosmetic function, the end caps 47 provide
support to the ends of the external panels 39. Preferably,
the innermost spines 48 are positioned to fit tightly against
the walls of the medial channels of the sill and cap members,
and the outlying spines help support the external panels. The
end caps 47 may also be used at the free ends 19 and 20 of the
wall or as framing pieces for a doorway 49 (FIG. 1).
In operation, the present free-standing wall may be rapidly
assembled on site because its various components are fashioned
to the required specifications before shipment from the
manufacturer. The vertical frame members, for instance, may
be joined with their respective horizontal feet and heads in
the various configurations outlined above; the cap and sill
members may be properly mitered; and the anchoring posts may
be set within the pre-cut sections of the base at the factory.
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On location, the following, somewhat simplified, assembly
procedure may be used: the base sections are laid out and
secured to the floor; the leveling columns are adjusted to
bring their top surfaces into a common horizontal plane;
the sill sections are placed on the columns and anchoring
posts; the vertical frame members are positioned and their
feet are fastened to the medial channels of the sill sections;
the cap sections are fastened to the heads of the frame mem-
bers; the studs and exterior walls are positioned within the
lateral channels of the cap and sill sections; and the mer-
chandise display appendages are inserted into the studs.
This description of the preferred embodiment, of course,
is not intended to unduly limit the breadth of the invention
or the scope of the following claims.
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